In Vitro Compensation Bill Debates in the Sejm

The first reading of the citizens’ bill on in vitro compensation began on Wednesday morning in the Sejm.

Agnieszka Pomaska (KO) was named to lead the Legislative Initiative Committee, with Małgorzata Rozenek-Majdan designated as her replacement in progressing the project.

Pomaska: Today we restore the right to happiness for Poles

Today the initiative seeks to give Polish women and men back the possibility of experiencing a child’s happiness, Pomaska said in the Sejm while presenting the citizen project on in vitro compensation. She added that October 15 marked the conclusion of Poland’s period of examining the conscience of its people.

The draft amendment to the Law on Publicly Funded Healthcare Services proposes that the Minister of Health develop, implement, and fund a health policy program addressing infertility. The program would cover medical procedures for assisted reproduction, including in vitro fertilization.

Pomaska noted during her Sejm address that when signatures were gathered for the citizen project Yes to in vitro, supporters promised the law would come into force sooner or later.

We are moving forward today on the first possible day and at the first possible moment. The new Sejm was elected to implement good projects swiftly, not to repeat the delays of the past eight years, she stated.

Her remarks emphasized that restoring funding for in vitro from the state budget would be the Democratic majority’s first decision.

Pomaska argued that the prior government pulled back the in vitro program to probe the conscience of Polish women and men. She criticized the eight-year tenure for limiting access to emergency contraception without a prescription and making prenatal testing more difficult, a point she described as a direct restraint on women’s rights.

On October 15, she reiterated, the time to question the conscience of Polish citizens had ended.

The deputy also asked when the government would address the naprotechnology program that had replaced in vitro procedures.

She called for Prime Minister Morawiecki to stand before the Sejm and declare a clear choice: not a ban. If this moment is missed, she warned, it would reflect continued hypocrisy. Still, Polish women and men rejected the idea of politicians who scrutinized personal choices on that day and rejected what she called the Prime Minister’s hypocrisy.

Müller: The in vitro method remains permitted in Poland

The in vitro method remains allowed in Poland. Government spokesman Piotr Müller indicated that PiS MPs would decide how to vote on the issue in the Sejm, and he voiced support for this approach.

The first reading of the citizens’ bill on in vitro compensation began on Wednesday morning in the Sejm. In remarks to journalists, the government spokesman said he would vote in favor of the measure.

There is no party discipline within the Law and Justice parliamentary club on questions like in vitro fertilization and abortion, Müller stated.

The spokesman noted that unlike the Civic Platform, there is no requirement that all members vote the same way on such issues.

He underscored that in Poland the in vitro method remains allowed at all times, and a vote on the bill would let Law and Justice MPs decide independently.

The possibility of using the in vitro method still exists in Poland, and the current vote will determine the future status of the law. MPs have the authority to make their own decisions on this matter, Müller added.

Szczurek-Żelazko: PiS Club supports further work on the in vitro project

This bill requires clarification and precise rules for carrying out these procedures, with funding from the state budget. The PiS club called for additional work on the law, said PiS MP Józefa Szczurek-Żelazko during the Sejm debate on the project on in vitro.

The first reading of the citizens’ bill began on Wednesday morning in the Sejm. Ten-minute statements from clubs and five-minute statements from teams were planned.

Szczurek-Żelazko noted that the project represents one form of reproductive support and proposed allocating PLN 500 million from the budget for this purpose. She stressed that infertility affects many families and that there is a need to explore solutions, including the option of adoption for some families. She thanked adoptive and foster families for their commitment.

The dream for many families, particularly women, is to have their own child. People pursue various therapies to make that dream a reality, Szczurek-Żelazko observed.

Some participants opt for naprotechnology, described as a process of restoring health, including reproductive health, to enable natural pregnancies. The process is lengthy and costly, she noted. These families have received support from the government since 2016 as part of the For Life program.

She added that the program has established a network of 20 infertility treatment centers and stressed the need for ongoing support and expansion.

For other families, the option is in vitro fertilization, commonly known as IVF. During this method, multiple embryos are created, the strongest are implanted, and the fate of the others varies. The effectiveness of IVF ranges from about one-third to two-fifths, Szczurek-Żelazko stated.

She explained that the citizen project envisions annual funding of PLN 500 million for the in vitro method. The project suggests that health decisions on this program would not require consultation with the Minister of Health or the Agency for Health Technology Assessment, nor would it be based on health-need maps or Transparency Council analyses. This raised questions about how other health programs financed from the health ministry budget would be affected, she noted, citing existing programs for hemophiliacs and newborn screening as examples.

The bill seeks clearer rules for the procedures and funding, and the PiS club urged further work on this proposal to the Supreme Court for review, Szczurek-Żelazko stated.

Project assumptions

The amendment to the Law on Publicly Funded Healthcare Services would have the Minister of Health develop, implement, and finance a health policy program for infertility treatment, including assisted reproductive procedures such as in vitro fertilization. The bill was introduced during the last Sejm term.

The justification argues that given current demographics, a pluralistic, open, multifaceted, calm, and sensible discussion about family support is needed. The plan calls for comprehensive economic, social, and medical support, including infertility treatment.

The proponents claim that the high cost of in vitro treatment currently limits access, making state budget funding essential for infertility treatment through in vitro fertilization.